preview

Haplogroup X History

Decent Essays

The History of Haplogroup X Haplogroup X diverged from Haplogroup N more than 30,000 ybp (Benson and Glad, 2006). Haplogroup N originated in Africa and can be traced back to over 70,000 years ago. There are traces of haplogroup N in Western Asia around 30000 B.C. The atmosphere in Western Asia where haplogroup X originated from was desert-like with grasslands, deserts, and mountains. The summers were hot and dry which included a scorched climate with periods of heavy rain. The living conditions were mostly dry with moderate temperatures with a little amount of direct sun exposure which could account for the fair skin tone. The land the inhabitants lived on was good for farming and had multiple water sources which gave rise to the fish they …show more content…

The individuals possessing haplogroup X lived in these conditions before and after the Ice Age occurred (American Journal of Human Genetics, 2003). It is believed that haplogroup X migrated to the Americas about 15,000 years ago (Benson and Glad, 2006). While haplogroup X was migrating into the Americas, haplogroups A1, B, C, and D1 were migrating at the same time but in a different location than haplogroup X (Forster, Harding, Torroni, and Bandelt, 1996). Scientists believe that haplogroup X entered the Americas via Beringia which connected northeastern Asia with northwestern North America during periods of glacial expansion and when there were lower sea levels (Feder, Lepper, Barnhart, and Bolnick, 2011). The glacial expansion and lower sea levels gave rise to the bridge called Beringia that connected Siberia to Alaska. Ice never formed on the ground which allowed small groups of modern humans to survive during the Ice Age. The area in which these groups resided in most likely consisted of tundra and steppe, but resources were scarce for the inhabitants …show more content…

I am not sure if it is haplogroup X, but I wanted to learn about a haplogroup that is present in Native Americans. Haplogroup X2a is not found anywhere else in the world which I found amazing only because it is hard to trace its path. I believe once a lot of people are able to afford the ability to have their mtDNA tested it will be easier to evaluate X2a. I found it interesting that not only is haplogroup X unique but it is found in high frequencies in the Great Lakes population and low frequencies in the Plains and Pacific Northwest. This caught my eyes because I am from Ohio which is a part of the Great Lakes region and it is where my grandmother was born as well which could give the possibility that X2a is a part of my lineage (Raff and Bolnick, 2015). I think it is amazing that haplogroup X has shown a correlation between protection against harmful diseases and promotion of successful aging (Courtenay et al., 2011). I think this could be a reason why the people that brought haplogroup X into the New World lived and prospered so well even in the type of environmental conditions they endured before, during, and after the Ice Age. The fact that they have protection from diseases allowed them to conquer any illnesses that they might have come in contact with while traveling or mating. In Amish populations today, haplogroup X was not only successful

Get Access